Attorney’s Fees for travel time are recoverable under Chapter 38 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, according to the San Antonio Court of Appeals.   In Wilkerson v. Atascosa Wildlife Supply, Atascosa sought recovery of attorney’s fees inclusive of $5,500 for travel time.  Atascosa offered evidence that the travel time was reasonable and necessary considering the distance traveled.  The evidence also showed that he billed only one-half of his rate for 36 hours of the travel time in which he was driving and not actively working on the case.  After the trial court granted Atascosa’s attorney’s fees, Wilkerson appealed.

The court of appeals observed that it could find no Texas case precluding an award of attorney’s fees that includes travel time.  Based upon the evidence presented, the court concluded that there was nothing in the record showing the award of attorney’s fee for travel time was unreasonable or arbitrary and the court affirmed the judgment.  The court’s opinion may be found here.  Wilkerson has now been filed in the Texas Supreme Court.  The docketing information can be found here.